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Racist police shamed online as Morocco investigates 65 immigrants charged in the fatal Melilla tragedy

The African Union called for an immediate probe on Sunday after expressing outrage at what it described as the brutal treatment of migrants that had resulted in fatalities and injuries.

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According to a judicial source, Moroccan authorities have started prosecuting 65 migrants who participated in Friday’s mass effort to enter a Spanish enclave by attacking a border checkpoint, which resulted in the deaths of at least 23 migrants.

African Immigrants, with the Moroccan police onlooking

About 100 of the 2,000 migrants who participated in the effort managed to cross the border, sparking violent clashes with Moroccan security forces and Spanish border guards in the Melilla enclave.

The deaths, according to Moroccan police, were caused by migrants falling from a high barrier and a crush following what they called a stampede. They claimed that dozens of Moroccan security officers in addition to scores more were hurt. Spain and Morocco have both
denied employing disproportionate force.

The majority of people being tried are from Sudan, according to the court source, and they are accused of starting fires, assaulting security personnel, and assisting illegal border crossings.

Using unidentified hospital sources, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) organization said that 29 migrants had passed away. They’ve since confirmed that three of its attorneys will assist in defending the migrants in court.

According to AMDH, several additional migrants who were seized by the police on Friday have been transported by bus to southern Morocco and freed there. Rabat started using this tactic in 2018 to deter unauthorized migration efforts.

In a video AMDH released of the disaster’s aftermath, dozens of African males were shown laying heaped up next to one another, some of them appeared to be dead, while others were bleeding and made strange motions in pain while Moroccan police watched over them.

According to AMDH, the injured were not cared for several hours, raising the death toll. In some of the videos, Moroccan security personnel can be seen hitting persons who are on the ground.

African immigrants in North Africa undergo terrible conditions

According to a reliable source, Moroccan officials showed
African embassies their own video of the border breaching, which showed police
attempting to remove migrant camps from the vicinity of the enclave before the
attack.

The source verified that the footage was uploaded on a local
French-language news website but claimed that Rabat had not publicized it. It
shows a sizable gathering of migrants attacking the barrier with sticks and
rocks while squabbling with security personnel who were using tear gas to
attempt to break them apart.

A piece of the fence gave way beneath a crowd of people
attempting to climb it at one point, sending several of them plummeting several
meters.

According to the official source, a concentration of
migrants trying to enter via a very small entrance at the border crossing was
what caused the crush.

Two diplomats told reporters that Spain will use this week’s
NATO conference in Madrid to push for more intelligence cooperation on matters
related to migration.

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